Kamen Rider Bolt
by Cleave Wright
Summary: J. is a young man with little idea of what to do with his life... aside from battling evil. As a Rider named Bolt, J. wades through school, friends and monster battles while he tries to figure out why he is a Rider and what his true place in the world is.
1. Chapter 1 A Taste of Things to Come

**Author's Note**: I do not own any part of the Kamen Rider franchise, but I do love it. As such here is my own version of Kamen Rider and this being my own creation most of these characters are 'original characters.' If you would like to use any of the characters used in this story, please go ahead, but inform me beforehand.

_**A Taste of Things to Come**_

My name is J… and lately, I've been feeling tired. I guess I should be, but I've never felt like this before. Charlie says it's just stress, and I hope it is. What should I be stressed out about, though? Friends, school? No. My work. You see…

I am a Rider.

I'm starting this journal now, to get my head straight. Whoever finds this, do with it as you will.

I'm having trouble remembering just how this all started… I know I saved a girl, Charlie, from one of those… _things_. I still have no word for them. Mutants? Aliens? Demons? I have no idea. All I know is, their organization, the Order of the New World, want to take this world for themselves. They dress in human skins and carry out their destruction from the shadows… but I am there to stop them. I just can't remember _how_ it happened.

The others call me Bolt. I mean, the people do. I've heard of other Riders, but I never met one… yet. I do have a partner in Rider-dom though. Lou. He has no powers but he's just as effective as another Rider. He tends to use makeshift weapons and gadgets of his own design to keep up with me. I haven't seen these other Riders… it's really just Lou and me as far as I'm concerned.

Perhaps I should write down what happened today? Yes, I should. The Order decided to do something much more daring then usual. This was an act of terrorism- plain and simple. Sometimes, the Order just wants attention pulled to them. I can't say why. I was actually there to see it happen.

It being Saturday, I didn't have any school to go attend. Charlie suggested I get out more, so I wandered the streets of Morrison City. I heard from the news that the subway had a record number of people using it. I decided to be one of those numbers. I'd never used the subway before, so I thought I'd ride it on a roundtrip. Well, good thing I did.

The subway carriage- car- was fairly clean, and it wasn't as packed as I had expected… I wonder how low the original record was… anyway, the Order member stood out amongst us.

He wore a long, brown trench coat and a hat of some kind. His face was free of most markings… a generic face, on a generic skin on a generic Order creature. He stood up, not holding on to anything, and looked at the people around him. The car was in full swing around the tunnels when the creature revealed himself. The man- creature- started to laugh. It was a quiet snicker at first until a guy asked him "What's so funny?"

The Order member went into a fit of hysterical laughter, but managed to cough out, "You don't see it! You're all doomed! Because it is commanded!" Then… he changed. His face contorted until it hit a terrible rectus grin. As such, I dubbed him Sardonicus. His face then started to peel away, like the layers of an onion… soon he wore a face of grey that only tried to mimic a human face. His body expanded, large and wide. The coat was quickly shredded and he shed his skin. By the end, the creature was a writhing mass of vaguely human gray muscle. Sardonicus was still smiling.

Chaos ensued.

Luckily, I was able to use it to my advantage. With all the screaming and panic, I was able to transform without notice. I took off my gloves, exposing the strange marks on the back of my hands. I pressed my palms to my face and whispered, "Rider Up!"

I hopped from my seat to see time slow to a crawl. I casually walked to the creature while my armor ripped itself from the pocket dimension in which it is stored. The individual pieces either snap on or grow from other parts, staring with my hands. The two base parts of the helmet appear in either hand, and I snap them together around my neck and guide the helmet's growing form around my head with a swift motion. The armor itself is insectoid in appearance, especially the mask. It looks like I'm a guy in a suit of armor inspired by a grasshopper… but, well, I am. The scarf that appears with the helmet is Charlie's. I'm not sure what the stylized lighting bolt (akin to a reverse sided Captain Marvel bolt) on my chest means, but it gave me my name.

With the transformation done, the tears in reality closed, and I was combat ready. Power surged from the suit into me. Sardonicus tilted his grinning head at me. His mouth opened and closed with a teeth chattering click. "So," he said. "The Rider decided to drop by?" My appearance to the scene calmed the citizens down.

"Whip his ass," someone screamed.

"Will do," I responded, my voice filtered through the helmet. My first punch lacked any real power behind it, but it was enough to take Sardonicus off his feet. His fingers suddenly extended into sharp claws, and he latched onto the car's wall. He tried to claw to the ceiling like a bug, but I knocked him through it with a forceful uppercut. His back skidded across the tunnel's roof and he fell back down, slamming into the top of the subway car that was behind us. I stood, on the other car's roof, ready. The horrid creature quickly recovered and stood poised on all fours.

He leapt at me, but with a quick sidestep I evaded Sardonicus and give him a powerful kick to the back. He fell forward, but spun around on his chest, razor sharp claws drawn. He regained his balance and took a quick swipe at me. As I dodged it, the tricky bastard made another tackle for me and I fell for it. It was a good strategy, as he tried to told me up just as the next small tunnel came up.

Too bad I kicked him right in the neck. Sardonicus dropped me and clutched his throat in pain. I ducked just as he did. The smaller tunnel was dark, and Sardonicus used this to his advantage. Most of his kind see in the dark, my helmet takes a few seconds to regulate. He slashed out with all four of his limbs, each one wielding deadly claws. I was able to quickly dodge them and catch his right arm. With a swift punch to the face, he went flying backwards… but he didn't take his arm for the trip. He got up in a daze, just as the car exited the small tunnel. Sardonicus nervously eyed the arm in my hand, and taking a step forward, nearly slipped in his own blood. The creature began to shake. "You," he hissed, "took off… my arm!"

I nodded. "Come over here," I beckoned, "and allow me to remove your head." Sardonicus didn't take a liking to my suggestion. He meekly turned tail, jumped to the side, and latched onto the side of the subway tunnel.

He wasn't going to get way that easy. Arm missing or not he could move. I followed his example and jumped from the back of the train to the ground. I then summoned up my bike from the place where my armor resides as well. I've never thought to look it up, but the bike was a 2002 model Harley Davidson motorcycle. I got on it and the armor picked up on the small device it had planted on the bike's front from the first time I found the vehicle. The bike's power and handling was augmented, as was its looks. It was still obviously a Harley, but now it looked customized to fit with my armor.

The bike started down the tracks, and with its supernatural amount of speed, I quickly caught up with Sardonicus. With a annoyed hiss he picked up speed, but that didn't matter. He likely intended for me to be splattered by the oncoming subway train, but I rode the bike up the wall, the tires quickly morphing into something more appropriate and jagged. I rode up the wall, missing the train and catching up with my prey. The tires promptly split Sardonicus in two. I rode past the train and steered back onto the tracks and rode to the next platform.

I haven't thought of what Sardonicus intended for those people on the subway, but it couldn't have been good. I changed back when I got to the platform and snuck on with little fuss.

I went back up to the streets and found myself nearer to home then expected. I strolled back and met Charlie upon my arrival. She didn't look amused. "J.," she growled, "where the hell were you?"

"The… subway?"

"Doing what?"

"Fighting monsters?"

"Uh-huh. You'd better have been."

"Am I… missing something here?"

"You bet your armored up ass you are. We're supposed to be writing a report on the French Revolution! Remember?"

"It- it must have slipped my mind!" It didn't. Honestly, I think I was trying to avoid Charlie with the subway. Speaking of, I should be working on that shouldn't I?

I will write more here as it happens or as I remember.

- J.


	2. Chapter 2 Murder and Cowardice

_**Murder and Cowardice **_

"You see," Charlie started, "so far, the Order has attacked Morrison City and it's surrounding area…"

"Right," I agreed.

"They've tried to blow it up-"

"And they attacked us with a giant monster-"

"Kaiju-"

"Whatever.

"Right, anyway… they've tried to blow it up, kill the mayor, attack the power plant and, usually, just tried to cause general terror."

"Terror for the sake of terror. Should we start calling them Heaven's Smiles?"

"No, and please, save the video game references for Lou."

"Meh."

"Well, the point is, why? What is so important about Morrison City? Besides that you're here?"

"Well, I can't say. They've attacked other places though."

"And they've all had their own protector or protectors… either a Rider, an elite fighting force, or, rarely, a superhero of some sort. It all seems so…"

"Contrived?"

"Well…" Charlie lost herself in thought. She did bring up a good point- the same good point she had brought up three other times that week. Why would the Order insistently attack an area that had protection? Did they hope to defeat the heroes and get them out of their way, or was it about the area themselves? I have looked through the history of Morrison City more times then I'd like to admit… I have yet to find anything supernatural or otherwise about it. This a roadblock I must come back to.

This conversation had started when we both got bored of studying for the French Revolution essay. Charlie enjoys a rather high grade point average and intends to keep enjoying it. What with the Rider stuff, I've allowed my grades to take a backseat to, you know, saving lives. Charlie, like always, is here to save me when I'm in a clench.

How obvious is it that I'm in love with this redheaded girl?

She was the first friend I've had since my second foster family fell through. She's the person I saved that night, on the bride overlooking the bay. She brought out the Rider in me- she created Bolt, as far as I can tell. She's responsible for saving all the lives Bolt has.

After more talk, Charlie decided to call it a day and left for home. Jim- my foster father- arrived home later. He asked me what I did that day and I told him I went on the subway, to get my bearings, and then hung out with Charlie. He made a thinly veiled warning about what'd he do if he found out Charlie and I were having sex. We're both minors, after all. That was yesterday.

This is today.

I was woken up by my foster mother, Susan. She told me I'd been sleeping like a log, but, like always, she woke me up at eight o' clock. I ate my breakfast, brushed my teeth, and went back into my room. Lou called me from his cell phone. "Hey, man," he quietly said.

"What goes?"

"There's something down at Maple and Cherry that you might wanna see…"

"What are we talking about here?"

"I might have found- okay- the police might have found a member of the Order."

"Wuh?"

"Well, he's dead, but-"

"Wait, he's dead?"

"Uh-huh. That's why I called you. You better come see." He hung up then. With a sigh I put on some clothes and told Jim and Susan where I was going. Well, I told them I was going to visit Lou, at least.

"How are you going to get there," Jim asked. "Want me to drive you?"

"No, no. It'd be better if I took my bicycle, you know? No need to bother you two this early." They both nodded and I retrieved my transport- err, bicycle- from the shack in the backyard. I unlocked the back gate, closed and locked them when I got through, and began to peddle. I needed to talk to the police about this, and they wouldn't talk to normal teenager J... but they would talk to Bolt.

When the coast was clear, I transformed. The motorcycle formed over my bike and, with a jolt, I was off.

I made it to the scene of the crime within a minute or two. To my surprise, Richardson and Garret were there. These two detectives were probably the only police in the city that had any love for Bolt. The Police Council- or whatever it's called here in Morrison- wanted to create a fighting force, like the Team Omega's on the East Coast, to battle the Order's forces. Well, that wasn't in the budget, so they decided to 'settle' for me as the city's official Monster Fighter. I asked if I'd get paid for it, but I was told it was considered charity work…

Moving on, Richardson, like always, waved a hand at me. I could see the crowd of spectators spread out around the police tape. Lou was there, pointing to the figure in the middle of the zoned off section of road. "Hey, Bolt," Richardson called me over. "Just who we were looking for!"

The other officers looked at me with contempt as I got off my bike. "Greetings, Richardson." I nodded at Garret who then titled his head over to the disfigured body that I then could see.

"Over here," Garret mumbled, and fixed his glasses into place.

"It's quite a sight," the hefty Richardson informed me. They lead me over the tape and to the body. It was definitely someone from the Order. He had been beaten to death, that much was certain. What really got me, and I'm sure the cops, was that the creature only managed to complete half its transformation. I can't become the Rider fast enough to do that.

"We didn't get any reports of you last night," Garret sighed.

"So we guessed this isn't your handiwork," said Richardson.

"I wouldn't have done it in the open either," I replied.

"Evidence would suggest. Those goons back there," Richardson pointed to the team of police looking around the area, "swear it had to be you. No, this was a murder, through and through."

"How does this hold up with the police? And me for that matter?"

"We're still writing the book on all this monster business, but, far as I know, it's your job to find out who did your job for you."

"So, I have to find this vigilante?"

"Don't assume he did it for the right reasons," Garret cut in. "This could have just been a simple murder, as my partner said. A murder done, possibly, by one of his- excuse me- its own kind."

"Infighting between the monsters?"

"If what you say is true," Richardson started to think, "these things have some human emotion. Rage being the highlight. So, its possible. Real things that's on my mind is this, though… how the _hell_ do we solve this?"

"Well, if either of us gets a lead, we'll communicate. This could be quite a case you have on your hands, boys."

"I just hope it's not the death of us…"

"As long as I'm here, detective, you'll make it." I shook hands with both of them and left the scene. I roared away on my bike, and transformed once again when I was sure I was safe. I decided to see if Lou had beaten me to his home. We usually worked like that. He give me a call, and then sees I get there, and tries to get back to his house before I do. I knocked on his front door. Lou opened it up and beckoned me in.

"So," he started, "what'd they say?"

"We got a murder mystery on our hands."

"Ooooo, can we do hard-boiled narration in our heads?"

"I'd rather not."

"Suit yourself, J. How do you intended to figure out said caper?"

"I have no idea. It'll come when it comes. No more, no less."

Lou then decided to throw me a curveball.

"You remember how you told me you killed that grey muscle thingy yesterday?"

"Yes."

"Doesn't it sound like the Endless guy from last month?"

"Huh?" I started to sweat, my breathing became heavy.

"Do you think he's really dead? Like, you said you tore off his arm and split him in two. You didn't destroy-" I didn't let him finish. I was already out the door.

I'm scared right now. I remember the Endless. I'm standing outside the subway entrance, typing this out on my laptop that I went home to get. Jim and Susan are out again, like every Sunday.

I'm putting it off. I don't want to go down there.

This may already be my last entry. It's done now. I'm going in.

- J


	3. Chapter 3 Welcome to the World

… _**Welcome to the World.**_

Death isn't something I usually think about. Not my death anyway. It's never something that comes to mind. I'm a Rider after all. I can't have any fear, not in face of this monstrosities. But I though of it down there, in the subways. My brain couldn't comprehend survival, it just wasn't there. It could only hope I died, taking them with me.

I'm sorry. If someone else is going to read this later, that babble won't make any sense. I'm still alive. I don't know if I want to be though.

The subways. Earlier yesterday I battled a smiling creature of the Order of the New World. I thought I killed him, but I was wrong. This monster, Sardonicus, wasn't just alive, it was better then new. It had evolved and multiplied. It had split it up into three pieces, thus granting it three new ways to kill and maim. Lou, my friend, brought this possibility to my attention.

I didn't want to go in there, if I could've, I would have told someone better then me to handle it, but there isn't anyone better then me around here. I was the only one who could possibly hope to stop the Sardonicus' (Sardonici?).

As I entered the subway it become apparent that the creatures had already taken root. People fled by in flocks, screaming in fear. I pushed pass them, the hood of my jacket up. When I managed to get down the stairs, I saw the beasts. Slowly, they stalked their way upwards. The attack must have only recently started, lucky me. I pulled up my sleeves, allowing my hand's marks to see the light. My palms covered my eyes, the first time once again. I wanted them to know I was there, I screamed, "_**Rider Up**_!"

I pulled down my hood as time tried it's best to keep up with the change. The armor snapped into place, and, when it was done, I was alone with them. The creatures had fear in their eyes. Or was that them laughing? No matter. I just wanted them to bleed.

One opened its mouth, "Has the Rider returned?"

"It took us time," another chattered.

"But how can you hope to stop us," the last one questioned.

"Like this." The leaping kick sent the 3rd Sardonicus across the platform, and the swift punch to the 2nd one sent it plummeting backwards to the ground. I kicked it into the 1st Sardonicus' legs, tripping the monster up.

The 3rd one returned just as I was poised to figure out a way to finish the other two off. The creature lashed out me with all its clawed might, and managed to slash my across the chest. His claws penetrated my armor. I then realized just how utterly screwed I was.

I could only wonder why, in that moment. Why me? Why a kid? Couldn't someone better have been chosen to do this? I can't even remember most of my "childhood." I'm only 17, and here I am, fighting monsters. Lives are in my hands, at all times. I'm not ready for this. I'm not ready to be a hero. _I'm not ready to die_.

Maybe that's why I do this. Does that make sense?

To the point, I was about to be diced to ribbons. I was able to counter the slash my giving the creature a roundhouse kick to its neck. It fell back just in time for me to roll away from the flurry of daggered hands that were intent on slicing me up like a vegetable.

Unfortunately, I couldn't control my roll and ended up slipping onto the train tracks and hitting my head. The three followed me in quick pursuit. I was still dizzy from the fall and had no chance at avoiding the first barrage of claws. I suddenly couldn't move my right arm. My left leg had searing pain jetting through it. I sent a wild punch with my working arm and caught one of the Sardonici in the chest, slamming it against the platform wall. Another flash of bloodied claws.

I caught one of them that time.

I lifted the monster off the ground, swung it around my head and threw it at the one beast left standing. The two crashed into a bundle on the ground. Then, we were illuminated in a light. I leapt to the platform just in time. The Sardonici weren't so lucky. I could see the subway train mash the awful beasts into fine chunks. There was no coming back from that.

I let out a sigh of relief and made my way back to the surface as the train stopped and let out its scurrying passengers.

I limped up the stairs, back to the streets, and called up my bike. It was going to be a painful trip back home.

I didn't make it back to Ken and Susan that day. I knocked the Charlie's door and barged in when she opened it. "Holy God," she screamed at me. "What happened to you? You're all torn up…"

"Run in… with the usual riffraff." I only came to Charlie's house because her parents won't be back for several days. I haven't asked her why. I unceremoniously collapsed face first to the ground, maybe getting blood on the carpet. Charlie, the angel, knew what to do. She turned on the T.V. and punched in the numbers 1-0-0-0-0-2- into the remote. A familiar face appeared on the screen.

A man wearing a doctor's outfit, face covered by a blank white mask. "Ahhh," he slowly crooned out. "What bring you back… Bolt?"

"He's more then a little hurt, Doc," Charlie said, speaking for me.

"Well, my, my… my. We can't quite… have that… can we?"

"No we can't…" I moaned.

"Now ma'am… please leave the room while I… operate."

"But-" Charlie began to protest.

"No 'buts', ma'am. Please leave… and don't watch… I'll know if you're watching…" You could the Doctor was smiling through his mask. Old Dr. Hornet is a creepy one, but he gets me patched up. Provided that no one else is watching.

"Will you be okay, J.?"

"Yes… now, just leave the Doc to his work…" The floor tasted terrible. She nodded and trotted upstairs. Hornet's head tilted.

"Are you… ready, Bolt?"

"As… ever…" I blacked out then.

I woke up several hours later, feeling less like a stab victim. Charlie had drug me to the sofa after Dr. Hornet called her down. I don't know what in the world he does to me, and frankly, I rather like not knowing. Charlie talked to John and made sure he knew to tell Ken and Susan I was at his house if they called. Best to keep up appearances. "You're a heavy bastard," Charlie told me, as I woke up.

"Never said I wasn't."

"You're wounds are barley noticeable now."

"Well, that's great."

"Isn't it? Anyway, you're spending the rest of today **here.**"

"And that's because…?"

"Whenever I take you out of my sight, you get your ass handed to you on a silver platter. One Hornet worthy ass whipping a day is good enough, J. I don't want you dying on me. Lou would never stop bothering me either."

I chuckled.

Here I am now, sitting in the living room of the girl I love, recovering from wounds sustained while battling the forces of evil. And I still haven't finished my French Revolution essay. This is the life I have come to find myself living in, whither I like it or not. I don't know what tomorrow brings, but I hope it isn't anything I need to punch in the face.

Charlie's noticed I'm not actually writing down what I'm supposed to. I'll be back.

J.


	4. Chapter 4 The Start of a Long Day

_**The Start of a Long Day**_

I'm woken up by a scream. It didn't seem like a particular voice to me, but it was still a sound of danger. My body quickly came alive, and, suddenly, I'm already out of my bedroom. The scream was close by, down the hallway. I ran down the hallway until I came upon a door I hadn't seen before. And then another scream. It was coming from behind this mystery door.

Without hesitation I gave the doorknob a twist… and the door dissolved into a thick cloud of dust. Darkness came pouring forth, slowly covering the doorframe, creeping to the walls. Thick, inky tendrils shot out from the pitch-black room and wrapped themselves around me. I was pulled into the unending abyss, and this time… this time the scream was mine.

It wasn't the first time I'd woken up in a cold sweat, and it wouldn't be the last. Recently, the dreams have become less and less common, much to my happiness… but in those days, I went to sleep each night hoping the terrors didn't come back. Yet they always did.

School was the priority then, not that is isn't now. It was just before the end of the first quarter, and Lou was being Lou. "Hey," he said to me during lunch. "You hear about those guys over in California?"

"Who?"

"You haven't heard of Team Omega yet? Dude, you need to read more."

"Well, whatever. What are they supposed to be?"

"California has been under constant monster attack, and each one of those freaky bastards took quite a lot of pain before they'd run off. The police themselves never actually, you know, killed one of them. Just drove 'em off. So, so, the military decides to unveil something cool. Powered armor and specialty weapons. Designed for just such the occasion. You know this isn't our first outbreak of monsters, yeah?"

I nodded. "Right. There was one in 80's. But it was centered mostly in one area which had a Rider to protect it."

"Exactly. Anyway, so these trained men are sent into L.A. to battle the newest monster that's popped up… and they slaughter the damn thing. I mean, yeah, it takes a whole team of them, but they did it."

"Heh, a whole team. The budget these guys take up must be pathetically large."

"It is. Only major cities can even hope to afford to have their own Team Omega. Heard New York is getting one soon."

"What about Morrison City?"

"Nuh uh. Ain't happening. Town can't even hope to get those guys. Buuut…" He paused for a moment to look around. We were outside, like always. We had found that little 'hiding spot' not long after I started attending school. When Lou was sure no-one was listening he continued. "That's why we have you."

"I've only killed… what? Like, 2 of these things so far?"

"2 more then most people."

He was right about that, I guessed. After lunch I went to physics which, luckily, meant I could talk to Charlie. Before class started, she came up to me and slyly passed a note. I took a seat and read it. "_We need to make sure you're ready for the next thing that comes your way. Meet me, and Lou I guess, at the usual spot after school._"

The usual spot was an abandoned parking lot that was near each of our houses. I wasn't sure what Charlie wanted me to do to be prepared, but I was going to find out. After a quick call to my overseers I made my way to the lot. Charlie and Lou had beaten me there, of course. They rode bikes to and from school, usually. I could to, yes, but that wouldn't exactly help in the whole 'secret identity' department. I could see they had a bunch of junk laying around. I could only imagine what they were doing with it. "Over here, J!" Lou called out.

The two were crafting makeshift weapons, they had brought wooden boards, and they also, somehow, had obtained a rather shabby but functional wooden device that was made to simulate fighting an enemy as you turned it and the other was attacked by its wooden protrusions.

Have you ever been hit over the head by a lead pipe with what seemed to be a small bowling ball attached to its end? Yeah. Well, it didn't hurt, seeing as how I was in Bolt form, but I could still _feel_ it. "So," Charlie started, "how was that?"

"Nothing much." I turned around to see Lou fiddling with the only slightly crooked pipe.

"Hit him again, in the chest this time Lou." He did so, and, as such, I braced for impact. I barely felt anything at all.

"Why are we doing this again?"

"Testing your defense. So far, well, you're built like a tank." Charlie started gathering up countless wooden boards.

"You know, I still have no idea why I'm like this."

"Don't worry about that," Lou said putting down the weapon. "Just worry about what you're going to actually, you know, _do_."

I looked back over to Charlie. She had put together a stack of boards that nearly reached my neck. "What?"

"See if you can chop through this," she said.

"I'll see what I can do." I stood next to the stack, raised up a arm, decided how I'd need to bend to reach the bottom, and, well, chopped. My hand sliced through the wood like a hot knife through butter.

"Well, there goes that," Lou sighed.

"And here I thought we'd actually be, you know, helping you." Charlie cocked her head to the side.

"Sorry guys." I pointed over at the wooden device. "How'd you get that here, anyway?"

"Well," Lou started, "it took a lot of hiding and dragging. But I got it here. That's all that needs to be said."

"Power down, J." Charlie made a strange hand motion while talking.

I allowed the armor to snap off of me, which is basically a reversal of how it snaps onto me. "I'm sure this thing will give me a better idea on how to, well, actually fight."

"That's the idea. So, let's see."

"Crap." I gave off a sigh and approached the training device. Lou stood behind it, ready to start working with it. I felt one of the protrusions and realized that, well, getting hit by this thing would hurt. A lot. Obviously, I wasn't going home without giving up a little sweat.

I gave one of the "arms" a strike. Lou moved it so several more came my way. I tried to block them but a few got past my defenses (or what I jokingly call defenses) and smacked me a bit. Lou cringed, "That hurt?"

"No, no, it's fine. I need to at least try." So we tried it again. And again. And again. I took some light bruises but, after a little bit I got used to the way the device worked. Not well enough, but it was something. I hadn't noticed at first, but as it turns out I was sweating, maybe panting.

"I… think we should stop," Charlie said, looking over at Lou.

"Yeah. You look tired, man." Lou then stretched his arms, and began to push the device with some effort. "I got a hiding place… for it… go home, J. Get some… rest."

"I agree with Lou. We'll do this again… tomorrow, maybe."

I nodded and took in several deep breaths. I decided to walk home, it wasn't too horribly far away. I had a strange feeling in my gut, though, like something was amiss, somewhere. Was it ever. I need a small break. I'll continue this memory later.


	5. Chapter 5 Lessons In Pain

_**Lessons In Pain**_

As bad as it sounds, I can't help but feel that I learned a valuable lesson in the fight against the Order of the New Dawn that day: Anything could be the enemy. And I do mean anything. From the person next door to people you've known for years. To the old statue that you only vaguely remember or the book you're reading for fun. Any of them could an agent of destruction, waiting for their chance to pounce at a defenseless victim.

'Why so cynical' you may ask. Well, you have to be a little paranoid to survive. Case in point: If I had assumed Sardonicus could regenerate and multiply, and thusly destroyed his whole body then and there, I could have saved myself a royal ass-kicking.

Anyway, yes, I decided to walk home from the parking lot. There was my first mistake.

It was a very warm day in Morrison City, and I started to really resent it halfway home. You get used to the heat after living here for a while, but you never get used to triple digit temperatures. Well, as far as I'm concerned. My backpack did not help me. I usually carry more stuff then I'll need in it, but I have to be prepared. I have a tendency to carry it nearly anywhere, it seems to be almost a sort of security blanket… I just hope I grow out of it soon. I didn't think about it that much back then, though.

Somewhere around said halfway mark, my cell phone went off. I checked the caller I.D. and it said 'Unknown'. "Hello?"

"Hello," the odd voice on the other end of the line greeted me. "I've heard tale of your rather odd extracurricular activities."

"Excuse me? Who is this?"

"Please, J., call me Mr. Fly. I'm here to assist you."

"How do you know who-"

He cut me off. "I know much about you. Such as your identity. Or, secret identity. Rider Bolt."

"Oh shit." There… wasn't much I could say otherwise. Nowadays I'm better at the deception racket… but no, not then. I looked around, and the streets were mostly unpopulated at the moment. I'd only seen a few cars pass by as well.

"Now, now. I mean to help you, J. You see, believe it or not, you are not the only one with thoughts about the Order floating about in your head. I happen to see this so-called "New Dawn" as a very dangerous idea." As he talked I moved under the shade of a tree. "There isn't much I can do for you now, as you're still in what I call the 'incubation stage'."

"What does that mean?"

"You're nothing but a pup, young J. You do not yet have the experience necessary to be useful to me… or anyone for that matter. Soon, though, you shall. I will contact you later. Good day, Mr. Bolt."

He hung up before I could get a word out. How? How in the world had someone found me out. Who was Mr. Fly, could I trust him? I shook my head. Screw it. Deal with it as it comes. Not much you can do about it now. It was the best way I could rationalize it in my head so I wouldn't begin screaming and run into traffic. I had already decided that, of course, sooner or later, I'd be found out by someone. I just didn't think it would be so soon.

I slumped against the tree and let out a long sigh. I stuffed the phone back into my packet and itched at the back of my gloved hands. They seem to be a part of me these days, the fingerless gloves. On the back of my hands are strange markings, resembling something like a large elongated Z piercing three circles that seemed to be falling in a stack on top of each other. Whenever I change into Bolt, those signs burn. They're the signal, I guess. Putting my hands over my eyes, allowing the back of my palms to replace them, also appears to be the transformation trigger… that and the thought of changing, obviously.

Moving on, I leaned against that tree for at least a good ten minutes before I regained my composure. Shaking my head out I decided to continue my trek home, as shocked as I was. That's when the dog came up to me. It was some small but bloated dog with tan fur. Nothing out of the ordinary.

The small dog sniffed at my leg, and I was somewhat afraid it was going to pee on me. "Go away." I tried to move it with my leg. The dog was persistent though. But now it was no longer just normally sniffing my leg, it was taking it large gulps of air, like it recognized me.

Well, it did recognize me… in the worst way possible. The dog's head cocked to the side, then moved back up with a snapping sound. I recoiled at that, and started stepping back, not taking my eyes off the hound. Then… then it started.

The dog made a strange, throaty sound and hunched itself over. Its head shook violently back and forth making sounds that could only have been the cracking of bones. Long spines shot up and out from the canine's back. Its eyes widened, its jaw snapped out of place. The tan fur slowly perked up and fell from the hide. The dog's claws grew and tore at the skin of its paws.

The dislocated jaw began to grow, reaching far away from the dog's- creature's- nose. Suddenly its legs extended as well, as if it was unpacking itself. It became less bloated and more lean. The creature, which I've since called the Hell Hound, eventually resembled a large, rabid, hairless mockery of a dog. It made a sound that I could call laughter.

I threw down my backpack, tore away the gloves from my hands, put my palms to my eyes and yelped out, "Rider Up!" Time quickly skipped a beat then slowed. The holes in the world ripped themselves open and snapped the armor to me, and from those snapped parts other pieces grew into each other and enveloped me. The two halves of the helmet's base grew into my armored hands. I snapped the parts around my neck and allowed the helmet to grow around my face, my sight being covered by a duo of large red ovals. My vision became clear in only a moment and the world returned to normal, just in time for me to see the Hell Hound's pounce and roll out of the way.

Its throat seemed to reshape itself… and then the beast opened its deformed maw and spoke. "I have found my prey," or, at least, that's basically what it said. The Hell Hound's mouth was deformed enough that it nearly made its speech incomprehensible. "When I destroy you I will have my reward!" A fresh bone, I'm guessing. A bone of mine, most likely.

The dog made another cackling sound and jumped for me once more. This time I was able to land a solid punch to his forehead and sent him flying back, slamming into a store wall. Too bad that's about when more people started showing up, all of them suddenly bursting into fits of screams or hysteria. Not what I needed then. The Hell Hound recovered from its blunt head trauma and rushed at me bearing a set of razor sharp fangs. I attempted a side jump, but the monster anticipated my moves and moved with me. Its teeth bit into the armor's side and actually nearly pierced my skin. With a swift elbow strike to the face, I loosened up its maw and kicked it away. The bastard rolled with the kick and stood firmly on its fours.

"You're more of an annoyance then anticipated!" Again, it was something like that.

"I aim to displease." He gave my comment a snarl and made a break for a nearby alleyway. Rule number one of superheroing: Running into an alleyway, alone, against a ill known opponent is not advised. Well, I knew it after then. I gave chase and soon found myself behind the main buildings, in the converging area of the alleys. The Hell Hound was nowhere to be found, but I gave the space a quick look over, which was, of course, another mistake. Are you seeing a pattern here?

The next thing I remember is pain and being thrown against a wall then toppling over some trashcans. I heard the dog creature's screwed up laughter and then another sound… like a human voiced, but beaten to a bloody pulp, thrown through a meat grinder and then given one of those artificial voice boxes. "Good going pup." This "voice" was just human enough for me to make it out.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked, getting up.

"I have many names." Is Tim one of them? "But you may call me Greygull."

I then got a glimpse at my new enemy. He- it's- hard to describe really. This… thing is easily seven feet tall and vaguely shaped like a human… except… except it's covered in metal that forms a knight like armor that… cuts into the creature's actual body. This Greygull was a large bulging mass of metal ripping into skin. I wondered how it managed to move around. Sitting next to him was the Hell Hound, glaring at me.

"Are you prepared to die, Bolt?"

"No, not entirely." I positioned myself into a fighting stance. "The question now is: Are you ready to die?"

Greygull made a horrid noise that I later figured was laughter. "How amusing. Kill him." Then, once more the dog attacked.

I'd rather skip the next part, but I need to write it down. I will later. I just need time to think.


	6. Chapter 6 Dance With a Devil

_**Dance With a Devil**_

The next thing I recall is being pinned down by the Hell Hound, desperately trying not to allow the beast to, quite literally, bite my head off. It's dagger like teeth were only inches away from my face… I already knew it could tear through the Bolt armor, so one chop, maybe two, and that was that.

I don't care what anyone says… you never get used to staring death in the face, not while you're still a sane person. Hell, even most madmen fear death. Okay, truthfully, it's the dying part that worries me. I didn't want to go like that. Killed by a member of the Order, a dog no less! I had my hand's around its mouth, but I didn't have the correct grip on it. Every thrust made by the Hound meant it would get a bit closer. It was closing the gap quickly… very quickly!

Greygull stood in the background, watching. It didn't want to dirty its hands. That bastard. Something gave way in my heart, some odd will-to-live kicked in with no warning, and my hands finally tightened around the Hell Hound's snout. A swift motion of my hands… and then a snapping sound. The beast suddenly became numb, weightless. I threw it off of me and slowly, carefully, stood back up. I kicked the Hell Hound's limp corpse away and it slowly broke down into some kind of protoplasmic slime.

I heard another sound, it was Greygull's (I'll assume) voice device starting up. "Surprising. Bolt… I do believe you now have the honor-" It put itself into a fighting stance, "- of my full attention!" I just then noticed how truly larger my opponent was… that will-to-live turned into a will-to-run-the-hell-away. I would've listened to said will if I wasn't already trying to dodge the mechanical monstrosity's first punch.

I attempted to roll behind it, only for Greygull to sidekick me. The force behind the blow was tremendous! I full through the air and slammed into a brick wall- again. I swear, I still have a subtle fear of brick walls to this day.

About then, according to Lou, things happened elsewhere. He, too, got a mysterious phone call. "Hello, Louis," the voice on the other line of Lou's cell phone droned out.

"Uhhhhh, is this?"

"You may call me… Mr. Fly."

"Yeah, okay, right." It was about then Lou said he was going to hang up, but…

"Don't do that, Louis. It wouldn't be advisable."

"The name's Lou, you prick!"

"Now, that's not a tone to take with someone that knows your friend's little secret."

"In the hell are you talking about?"

"I know who Bolt is, and so do you… Lou."

According to him, the only reason Lou was pissed off about was the fact he kept calling him Louis… as such, he then decided to comply with Mr. Fly. "Ah, well, that changes things."

"Doesn't it? Do not fear. I have already contacted J… you see, I wish to be the ally of Morrison City's Rider."

"Wait... are you with Dr. Hornet?"

"Who..?"

"Never mind, go on."

"Yes, well, our J. is still rough around the edges as a defender-"

"Tell me about it." Asshole.

"- but I see great potential in him, and you, and even that Charlie girl. You are all too green, as it would be. I cannot offer my services just yet."

"Well, damn."

"Soon enough, though, I'm sure I will have the faith in the three of you to gamble my power in your favor."

"I see… so, what, are there other candidates?"

"There always is. I will contact you later, when I see it fit. Goodbye." Mr. Fly hung up… and, according to Lou, the ninjas attacked then. He held them off with a glow stick and simultaneously wooed a damsel in distress. Hey, he said it.

To continue… have you ever been picked up by the neck? First off, it hurts. Second off, you don't want to be the one in this position in a fight to the death. That is usually when the 'death' part comes in. My arms weren't long enough to land any kind of solid blow, and my legs were basically useless as well. Greygull's voice box started up. "This was amusing. Allow me to end it…" Then, a faint pop… and a flash of light.

The robotic horror shrieked in surprise as his hands were nearly blown to bits… you see, someone shot a blast of fire at Greygull, freeing me. A figure zoomed passed me, and it stopped only to ready, and land, a fierce punch to Greygull's chest. The beast flew back and landed with a thud.

The figure, now clear, was a tall man covered in a shroud that went from his head to his ankles. A hood masked his face. Turning, the man offered me a hand… and I saw a glint of light in the shadows of his hood. "Your eyes shine," I said, "just like mine."

"Correct," the man said, with a stern, powerful voice. He helped me up and steadied my shoulders.

"Who-"

"I am sorry, young one, but this is your battle. I cannot win it for you." I was in a daze, but my head was coming back to focus.

"What..?"

"Now- Stand up to evil! Never give in!" With a flash of light, the man was gone… and Greygull was returning to its feet. My mind came back to me… stand up to evil… never give in… I heard those words before.

My next attack caught it off guard. The punch landed directly in its mangled face. I then gave the automated creature a swift roundhouse kick. Greygull took several staggering steps back, and I was able to catch it with my fist on more time. It tried to retaliate with a quick, sloppy jab which I dodged, and then I caught hits arm in my grip. With all the strength I had, I tossed Greygull over my shoulder… it slammed into the ground, leaving a shallow crater.

Laying there, unmoving, Greygull's voice box once more grinded to a start. "We will finish this… another time…" Then its body suddenly changed into a million tiny bulbs of light, and then they floated into the sky with speed quicker than my eyes could catch.

That was my first encounter with the strange man, and the beast known as Greygull…battered, beaten, I walked out onto the street. A small crowd of people had formed around the alleyway entrance. They had, apparently, been view the fight. I tired my best to look nonplussed, summoned my bike to the street, and rode off.

Back home, I hid my bite wounds from Jim and Susan, and went into my room. I melted onto my bed, and almost, almost, fell asleep. There was a knock on my door… it was Susan. "How was school?"

"It was… okay…"

"Did you have fun with your friend?"

"Yeah… plenty…"

"I guess so, seeing how tired you are!"

"Well… you know… teenage… bodies…" I tired my best to stay awake.

"Ok then… I'll let you take a nap. Be sure to finish your homework…" I made a grunt of acknowledgement and she slowly closed the door. Blessed sleep came over me… and I had a dream…

I had a dream of a hooded man with eyes that shined through the darkness… _never give in._

- J.


	7. Chapter 7 Some Call Me Lou

_**Some Call Me Lou**_

Gather round, people-who-will-later-read-this-when-I-am-dead. Allow me to tell a tale of twists, terror, turmoil and some other T word.

"What in the-" Charlie was all, uh, in awe.

"How long did that take to make?" J. was so smart to ask me.

"Somewhere between 3 hours and none of your business." I popped a knuckle and, with my friends, gazed at my creation. A ten foot tall model of a Fizzy Soda bottle, made out of my accumulated Fizzy bottles.

"Why?"

"Well, people have gotten famous for dumber stuff."

Charlie sighed. "He's actually got a point. But, I don't know…"

"Give it a chance," J. snapped back. "In fact, I'll go get my camera. Internet, here comes Lou!" He ran off to his backpack back in the living room. Charlie just looked at me, shook her head (the hell did I do?) and made a noise.

"Is this what you do instead of your schoolwork?""Well, yeah," I replied. "Didn't J. tell you?"

J. ran back into my room. "Got it!" He turned the camera on and just then noticed the aura of pure evil imitating from Charlie. I wanted to warn him, but I was still ogling my creation. I mean, come on, ten foot tall soda bottle. Made out of soda bottles. How could you resist the temptation to ogle that? That's right, you can't.

"J…" Charlie hissed. "Didn't I tell you to keep Lou on track…?"

"Uh… well, you see… I… uhh…"

"Don't 'uhh' me!"

"I was fighting monsters! Remember, you know?" Oh, yeah, did I mention J. fights monsters? That's kind of important. Like, he's got this suit and a bike and shit. It's pretty cool really… anyway…

"That doesn't mean a damn thing and you know it! I mean, you only fight those things, like, once a month! That still leaves plenty of time-" She went on like that for a while. Don't judge her from this experience, though. She's okay, she just acts weird around J. whenever someone else is in the room. I think the world would call her a tsundere, Type B if I'm not mistaken. I mean, really, those two should get a room. Or at least, not _my_ damn room! Guh. So, after a long, long, loooong speech about upholding the yadda yadda yadda- J. started filming.

"And, here we have, yes, a 8 foot tall-"

"Ten foot."

"-ten foot tall model of a Fizzy Soda bottle created from, uh, other bottles. Now…" He pointed the camera to me, "What's up Mr. Creator?"

"Uh, yeah, the name's… Orlando…" Charlie smacked me in the back of the head. "I mean, Wolfgang-" Another slap. "Hell, I'm Lou."

"So, what drove you to create this- masterpiece?" Douche.

"Well, it was my love for models, Fizzy Soda, and boredom."

"Sounds like ingredients to a manic-depressive cocktail." Charlie slapped J. in the back of the head. Well, she was pissed off what can I say? Besides, _stop effing hitting me_?

"So, yeah, now that you have seen my work, give me something to make, and I may just agree to make it. Why? Because it can be done!"

"And, frankly, that's all the reason you need. Send in those submissions!" He made another shot of the model and turned the camera off.

"Wait a sec-" Charlie mumbled. "So- you're wasting more time on crap like this?"

"Well," I said, "yeah. It's… it's…"

"Constructive," J. added.

"Yeah. That."

Charlie facepalmed and shook her head again. She does that quite a bit. "I do not understand you two."

"Well, I have an excuse," J. pleaded. "Lou here is just a knucklehead."

"Who even says that anymore?" I questioned.

"Me. Knucklehead." Okay, well, seriously, J. really does have an excuse. He regularly fights evil monsters and bonds with a suit of armor that makes him look like a grass-hopper themed Marvel superhero dude. God only knows what J. really is, or where he comes from. For all we know he's not technically human. It's a bad thing to think about but, hey, it's probable. We've only known J. for a few months, when he was moved here to live with foster parents. So, again, we have no idea where J. comes from. And neither does he.

Moving on, Charlie went into the kitchen to get a drink and J. said, "This is a little stupid, isn't it?"

"She's rubbing off on you bud. Next thing you know you'll be thinking 'logically' or something."

"You're right… but what can I do to stop the process…" He said that all in a dramatic, deep voice.

"The only cure… is viewing all six episodes of FLCL in one sitting." We both then made proud faces, upon which imaginary manly tears were shed.

"Yes… it must be done!" J. pounded his chest. Charlie was right there, in the doorway though. "Uh, how much of that did you see?"

"Enough." She scratched her head, shaking up her slightly puffy red hair. She closed the door. "Okay, serious talk now."

That meant Bolt stuff.

After several minutes of Charlie talking J. finally got a word in. "Hey," he said, all meekly. "I have to wonder… when is Mr. Fly calling back?"

"Do you _want_ him to call back?" Charlie tilted her head.

"Well, if he can really help us, I'd like him to, yes. I mean, Dr. Hornet has saved my ass more times then I'd like to admit… so I just hope we can get some more assistance."

Charlie thought about it and looked at me. "Lou, did you ever get a call back?"

"No. Not at all. That prick kept calling me Louis, he can go die in a ditch." Charlie shrugged at me.

"Also," she started, "I'd like you both to know, Lou's suit is pretty much done."

"Lou's what?" J. was zoning out again… that was a bad sign. That meant he was supposed to be somewhere, and Charlie and I had only recently realized it. We decided to let that be part of J. instincts, telling him about it could screw it up.

"Lou's, uh, suit. You know, from the metal you found."

"Oh… right…" J. started scratching the back of his hands… his eye's started slightly twitching.

"Hey, J…" I patted his shoulder. "I think you should go down to the gas station and get some snacks."

"The hell-? What? Why me?""You need the exercise. Plus, this is about my stuff, boring for you."

"I concur with Lou," Charlie cooed. "Just run up and back with the usual. Lou's parents won't be back for a bit. Just run up and back."

"Right, right, whatever. I'll be quick." He checked his wallet, nodded and ran out again.

"So," Charlie sighed. "While he's going off monster hunting- let's get your suit out."

I nodded and Charlie took the suitcase she brought with her off the floor and snapped it open. "The kid gloves are off," I said with a smile.


	8. Chapter 8 I Kick Your Face

_**I Kick Your Face**_

According to J. here's what happened next…

On his way to the corner mart, he had a few "mishaps." Said mishaps include, getting run over by a bike, being chased by a random bulldog, narrowly avoiding getting hit by a semi and, well, accidentally wandering off course in order to follow a pigeon. Apparently, that was an awesome pigeon. Also, did I say 'mishaps'? I meant 'series of inexplicable events that prove the universe is messing with us all.' Or, well, J. and his weird sixth sense thing make excuses for ending up where trouble is.

Because of all that stuff, J. was far, far from where he was supposed to be. In fact, he wasn't anywhere within easy walking distance, which was where he was supposed to be. He had ended up somewhere in one of the slightly more business-y parts of Morrison City, and, as such, wasn't too far from a construction site. Having said that, allow me to tell you a little something about our fair city…

Morrison City, in the last few years, hasn't been lucky in the building department. Every time a new building or structure is ready to go up, and they've put down the frame work and whatnot, _something_ happens. Sometimes, that something is simple as budget issues and the half-finished work is what's left, sometimes it's an accident that topples what there is of the structure and no one cares to build it up again… and, recently, once or twice, it was just simple monster based interference. By that I mean a 7 foot tall purple thing tears the place down with its mega-breath or something. Yeah, or something is probably the best way to describe that.

That day, the thing showed up with no warning or buildup… it was just suddenly there. J. said he has no idea where it came from, all he heard was a loud sound. Like smashing concrete and then the screaming started. I'm starting to see a pattern with the screaming…

J. said the thing wasn't like the usual Order bastard. I'd have to agree with him, what with it being well… a termite. You heard me. It was, maybe, 6 feet tall but it had several "appendages" that acted like legs, it stood up on 2 or 4 of them (J. could never keep that straight) and, frankly, it just ran amok.

It tore into the structural skeleton of the building, eating at it J. guessed, and attacked anyone that tried to stop it. Guess what happens next. Yeah… J. ran into an alleyway, away from the ruckus, took off those gloves, put his palms to his eyes and screamed, "Rider Up!"

See, I've seen it once or twice, the transformation… and it's much weirder than J. ever explains it. He seems to, almost, flicker in and out of sight, maybe out of existence, and in-between each flicker he… changes. This armor attaches itself to him, augmenting his height and even, I think, his mass. The armor, though, is pretty much the way he describes it. It looks like some grasshopper based armor, antennas in the helmet, red scarf around the neck (which somehow manages not to look stupid) and this big lightning bolt symbol on the chest plate. It's intimidating at first, but when you know it's J. in there, well, Bolt isn't so scary. But that's just me.

Next, J. told me he did the same old same old… he punched the termite thing in the face. Oh, and, yes, we named the thing Termight, and yes, we know it's not funny, shut up.

Anyway, apparently, punching giant termites in the face just makes them angry. J. said the next thing he knew, he was in the air, a terrible pain engulfing his chest. When he landed on the ground, he realized the Termight had, in essence, shot him. With an appendage. That then grew back. Yeah. I have a feeling that 'appendage' was actually just what you're probably thinking it is. In other words, J. got wangpaled.

J. ripped the 'spear' from his suit and yelled something obscene at the Termight, well, I'm pretty sure that's what he'd do. But, yes, he tried again to get the bug based horror to yield and, well, that's when J. got vague about what happened next. I have a feeling though he get his ass kicked, at least a little. Don't look down on him though, that Termight was strong. How would I know? Because I was actually there after J. received said-theoretical-ass-whipping.

He was slowly backing away from the Termight, most likely trying to come up with a new plan of attack, then I arrived. After I fixed myself in the suit, Charlie informed me of the disturbance, so naturally it took me a bit to get there. J. saw me immediately and had the appropriate reaction, "What the hell?"

"Have no fear!" I told him, trying to alter my voice the way he does, making it lower, gruffer and I tried to be a little cheesy I guess. "I am here to assist you Bolt."

"Do what-?"

I pointed at the Termight, who was also a bit shocked at the sight of not one, but _two _Riders. "They call me Riderman, and you stand no chance!"

I could almost hear J. laugh underneath his helmet, he realized it was me just by the name. What? I happen to like the name! It's not like I'm calling myself Bolt 2 or something. We caught the Termight's full attention, it turned itself away from the now damaged construction site and made its way towards us.

J. stepped closer and asked me, "How do you plan to help, anyway?"

"The suit is made out of that metal," I told him.

"What metal? You mean the alien metal?"

"Yeah, I ran here, you know. I'm nearly as fast as you in this suit!"

"Yeah, well, lets hope you're as strong…"

"Funny you should mention that-" Then the Termight attacked with several of its spines. Bastard never heard of 'talking-is-a-free-action' I guess. We dodged, J. on instinct, while I had to damn near will myself into a roll. See, the metal, when attached to clothing and worn, augments one's entire psychical body… problem is, your mind still thinks your normal limitations are there so you have to will yourself past them. That's the immediate downside of the metal…

Anyway, the Termight then leapt into the air, brandishing all its limbs like knives and went for J. like I hoped it would. So, as such, I lunged right where I thought it would land, made the correct timing and smacked it in the side, both fists out. The thing's hide was sturdy, but it was slow.

As the Termight and I landed, J. shouted at me to move. I made a inhumanly quick sidestep that covered quite a bit of ground… and I saw J. ram his motorcycle into the monster. The Termight was too shocked to offer much resistance and it was plowed into a wall as a result. Much to my surprise, though, the beast had enough power to toss J. and his bike away, luckily I gave it a punch to the 'face' in retaliation. It shrieked and seemed to try to fold up into itself… so, yeah, I hit its weak point for **massive damage**.

J. was already back up and saw what needed to be done. He was gone for a second and then I heard something… ripping through the air. The next thing I knew J., from the sky, had kicked the Termight's face in. I mean, its head literally collapsed in on itself.

J. landed on his feet, and the Termight ceased to move. Then it just dissolved away like the vampires from Buffy. It's ashes floated away on the wind and I realized just how drained I was… in fact, I _suddenly_ had a drop in energy. Remember that there was an immediate downside to the metal, well, there's another downside as well. I nearly fainted, but J. held me up. "You okay?"

"Not really," I said. "I guess, this takes me effort then I hoped it would."

"Lets get home…" Then he went silent for a second, and he fluttered out of existence for a second and now there was sidecar next to him. It was the same sidecar the motorcycle had when we found it but when it was hooked up to the bike it changed like the bike did, into something much more badass looking. I limped my way into the sidecar and J. turned on the gas.

He changed back when we got into our neighbor hood and, like when I went to J. in the first place, I took off my helmet and covered the rest of the suit as best I could with a long coat I hid in a bush when I started running. We went into my house, parents still not home like we thought and I collapsed on my bed. Before I faded away from consciousness, I heard Charlie say, "I don't think he's just exhausted."

J. said, "You think it's the metal?"

"In the worst case scenario."

"Then it's the metal…" I couldn't keep myself awake any longer, I was asleep.


	9. Chapter 9 I Do Something Constructive

_**I Do Something Constructive**_

I came too a bit later, my parents were home then, but they don't bother us while we're in my room. If a man's house is his fortress, the same could be said about a teenager and their room. J. told me that actually. Hm.__

Anyway, when I woke up I didn't feel as awful as I did before. I checked to make sure they didn't decide to pawn off my organs and then asked, "So, Dr. Hornet patch me up?"

"Yeah," J. said with a nod. "He said that he's examined the metal before… you could say that it's toxic to… pretty much anything. It forcibly changes and twists your body, your nerves, muscles, maybe even your DNA-"

"That's creepy."

"Yeah, I know."

"This isn't going to be like _the Fly_, is it?"

"No- wait, what? How does that even apply to…? Okay, whatever. Basically, armor-equals-no. You're not to wear that metal."

"What if I'm trying to win a bet?" He just glared at me. "Kidding, jeez. But, fine, okay."

The door opened up. It was Charlie, holding a sack of food. "It better damn well be," she said with some mean spirit.

"How did you-?"

"Heard you through the door." She reached into the sack, pulled out a bag of chips and threw it at me. "This is yours. Your mom and dad picked some stuff on their way back from… wherever they were before." I actually wonder where the hell they were, but that's neither here nor there. Meh.

You know, thinking about it now, I guess we should have guessed that the metal had some problems with it. I mean, it _was_ glowing when J. brought it to us… and he did tear it off of a spaceship thingy… so, again, not my best judgment. But it's like they say, you only live once! Besides, I wasn't quite out of the game yet.

Anyway, the next day people were talking all about the appearance of the sexy Riderman.

Okay, well, maybe they didn't call me sexy but they implied it. Mostly they just wondered where the hell this guy came from. Honestly, this town is odd enough with a masked grasshoppery rider and the monsters, so a guy dressed vaguely like said grasshopper guy and calling himself 'Riderman' might be pushing the limit. But what do I know? Oh, that's right, more than you.

At lunch J. and I were at out usual spot away from nearly everyone else. J. sometimes thinks it's kind of a bummer that Charlie doesn't share the same lunch period as us. Well, she acts sort of hostile around him in public, as I've said, so it might be for the best. Anyway, J. went off on a tangent… "See, I think the problem is that you've got a growing inferiority complex-"

"Hey, I assure you our sizes have nothing to do with-"

"No! Just no! I mean the superhero thing."

"Oh! Okay, that makes far more sense then what I thought you meant."

"Yeah. What I'm saying is that you want of slice of the pie."

"Pie? What kind of pie are we talking about here? Cherry?"

"Action pie, as it would be."

"Meh. That kind of pie explodes too much."

"No kidding. I'm just saying, you shouldn't worry about it. Fighting monsters every other damned day sucks really."

"Well, I guess getting tossed around like a rag doll can get old after a while."

"If this damned armor wasn't basically etched onto me, I'd have given this crap to someone else. I'd have walked up to a cop or something and said, 'Here. Monsters and various other beings of pure bullcrap are attacking. Use this to fight them!'"

"And the cop would still have a salary."

"Yeah."

J. doesn't get paid a thing for being Bolt. He doesn't want to reveal his identity and as such the city proclaims his actions as acts of charity basically. He's a nonprofit organization! But really, we should be glad the city doesn't order the cops to try and arrest him or something. How crappy would that be? Answer: Very.

After lunch it was more of the same. School is school. Only it's a bit harder for the three of us. This may be irrelevant but I think it at the least says something about J… see, all three of us go to an advanced high school program. College prep. That kind of crap. If we don't get more work, then we get harder work. J. and I have don't have 'academic' hobbies… you know, stuff that actually helps us study or something. As such, we struggle to maintain Bs and Cs when in normal school we'd be getting As with only a bit of effort. But then we'd be constantly told about our potential. J. has told me that ever since he could remember he'd been in programs like this. Wherever J. comes from, or whatever he is, it most likely has an impact on this. My real point is, though, that J. has passing grades _and_ he saves Morrison City's bacon every time a monster shows up. I've never asked him but I sometimes wonder what that feels like, to have that much weight upon you. I just do a lot of shit to keep myself entertained, Charlie studies and researches in her spare time while J. probably tries to keep himself as detached as possible.

I might have a inferiority complex, but I'm certainly not as distance as J… according to Charlie at least. I wonder if that's something that's needed to be a Rider, a real Rider. A king of empathetic apathy. A stoic caring of others. Hm.

I thought of this as I sat in a chair in my room, the makeshift armor sitting in the suitcase in front of me. I wanted to help. That was my main motivation, if you'll believe that. I wanted to be able to punch evil in the face. But the only thing that could allow me to do that is basically a poison. "It's a drug," J. told me over the phone. "Think of it like that."

"How so?"

"You know what it feels like. To be able to do the impossible with just a little exertion of will. It's an intoxicating feeling."

He was right. "How do you deal with it then, oh smart one."

"Well, oh dumb one, it's like I can block it out. The Bolt armor, whatever it is, is a part of me. It's not artificial. The feeling I get from using it is like adrenaline. It's literally a natural function for me. That metal is foreign to you. You gives you a simulated taste of power. It gets you high basically. So, in essence, that metal is symbolism at work. It is the forbidden fruit. The apple that, when you take a bite of it, gets you thrown out of Eden. You get the point."

"Did you make that up just now?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Good because it made no sense."

I think I heard hi facepalm over the phone. Later on I found myself staring at the suitcase once more. An idea popped into my head. I realized that Charlie and I had handled the metal with our hands to no ill effects. It most be prolonged exposure to it that makes the metal try to turn you inside out.

And another thing… this thing augments inorganic things so that they can be used by organic things… so, what would happen if I put the metal on a baseball bat? Or a golf club? Would it compensate for the lack of organics and power itself, making super weapons? I had to try.

Not long after that I was in the backyard while my parents were at the store. I had collected up some thrown away concrete from the sidewalk on the other side of the street. I had already wrapped up the bat in the metal, it being pretty flexible when needed helped a lot. It hardens on contact with organic things or if enough 'kinetic force' collides with it, so at the very least I just wrapped up my baseball bat in steel.

According to the concrete, though, I was carrying a wreaking ball. It took me about three hits to get the exact amount if force I needed to activate the metal. The grey stone was a pile of crumbs, and I held the bat in my gloved hand. This would be my Excalibur. All it took then was to take out the spare costume. It was the barebones version of the actual Riderman armor. Fact is, the bottom half of the mask/helmet wasn't there yet. The first one was really a snap together affair. As such, I rolled with it. In the next week or so, nothing happened. No monsters. No anything. So I got to work.

I obtained some body armor from various sources (read: Bolt got it from the police as a favor) and made as many random instruments of defense using the metal along with other things as I could. I decided I'd have to stick to the sidecar as well. I wasn't the hero here, that was obvious. I was the second-in-command, the lancer of sorts. I wasn't the Rider… I was the Riderman. And I was fine with that. I'm still fine with that.


	10. Chapter 10 Fur With Fang

_**Fur With Fang**_

The full moon illuminated me and the creature I'd been battling. We both stood perched on small cylindrical chimneys which seemed to be in disuse. His fangs glistened like ivory, or something like that, and my blades (yes, _blades) _produced just enough light for me to properly see without my helmet taking the time to adjust. I could hear my scarf blowing in the wind, and I could hear his heavy breathing. His red eyes glared at me, letting me know he was ready to cut me in half.

All was quiet.

Then, we jumped at the other. He howled and I screamed with built-up rage. Just how the hell did I get in such a place?

Let me go back to when this started.

…

A few days ago I watched Charlie type into her computer at a breakneck speed. Frankly, I didn't know fingers could move like that. "Why am I doing this again?" she asked.

"I have a theory."

"About the Order member murder, right?"

"Right. The police have his I.D. public?"

"Well, yes. After a crime scene like that, it'd be hard not to make it public. And you're asking me find out as much about this guy as possible?"

"Right."

"Wouldn't it be easier for Bolt to talk with the police?"

"Yes. But they don't trust me yet. Not many, at least. Richardson and Garret are okay with Bolt, but I doubt anyone else would really tell me jack at this point. Besides, they'd probably assume a guy like Bolt would just figure it out."

"Ugh. Right, right. I'm printing this all out, okay? As I find it."

"Please and thank you." I saw the edges of her mouth curl up, almost into a smile. It's odd, honestly. Charlie doesn't really smile, not a lot at least. I don't know why. She also seems really angry all the time, but I guess she's really just serious about, well, everything. I'm surprised she puts up with our (Lou is included here too) crap. Her room is surprisingly colorful though. She keeps a fresh coat of blue paint on the walls, and the carpet is a bright red, unlike the other parts of the house.

As I was pondering, Charlie tapped me on the shoulder. "Look at this," she told me.

I got up off the floor and looked at the news website she had pulled up. "Werewolf?" Yes. The article was on a rash of seemingly random attacks by what a few eyewitnesses described as a 'wolf-like-man'.

So. Werewolf.

"I think," she started, "that this might be connected to the Order."

"It's possible. I mean, it's weird for them though. They usually seem to breed the creatures for one go as a monster. They tend to not be able to change back into a human afterwards, you see."

She nodded. "Maybe they're getting better at monster making. I mean, they churned out the Endless after all."

A chill worked its way up my spine. "Yeah, yeah, but I think that was a fluke. He didn't do anything besides attack me. He… anyway, I'll deal with it as I can." There was a long silence. "You know what still bothers me?"

"What?" She stilled searched different sites for more information.

"His body never dissolved. When a Order member's nervous system dies, the member dissolves."

"You think he wasn't a full blooded monster?"

"I don't see how that would work, though."

"Neither do I. In any case, I'll bet that has something to do with the current going-on's. Could it be he was a failed experiment?"

"Then why would they have him up and around?"

"… hrrrm. Why can't your problems be more normal, J.?

"Because I'm most likely not human in the first place?"

Charlie stopped typing and turned around in her seat. "Is… that what you think?"

"Huh?"

"Do you really think your not human?"

"Well, I'm probably not. That's just how it is. What's gotten into you?"

"That's not a healthy way to think."

I shrugged. "I kill things on a monthly basis. I can bend steel with my bare hands. I look like an insect. I don't think any of that melds together into a healthy mind."

"Nuh-uh." Charlie shook her head. She got out of her chair and wagged a finger in my face. "That's not you. That's Bolt. Bolt kills monsters. To protect people. Bolt is a suit of armor, it can bend steel, it looks like a grasshopper… because it's a suit of armor. Not you. You're J… you're a perfectly normal person. You're kind, you're intelligent… if not a little scatterbrained…" She started to calm down. She let out a sigh and fell back into her chair. "Sorry. I just… I don't want you start thinking … that you shouldn't be around people or something."

I nodded. Odd as it may be, Charlie has a tendency to see where one train of thought may lead to later. I guess it makes sense. If I started thinking I wasn't human, like, _really_ started to think… then sooner or later maybe I'd believe I shouldn't burden others with the bullshit I lug around. Frankly, I have thought that before. Charlie's little lecture did make me feel… better, I guess. At least, for the moment, I think she wants me around. I'm pretty sure Lou would like me to stay friends with him.

Eventually, Charlie had a large stack of things that related to one Rudy Alph. I got home to hear Jim and Susan talking about something or other. I think it might have been about me. I know I might not think about them too much, but so far they've been the best couple I've been put with. There's only ever been one 'bad' family I've been put into, but Jim and Susan are the best of them all by far. I guess I've learned to try not to attach myself to them too much… just in case.

Now I have to wonder… what if I go back into the system? What if I have to leave Morrison City? Okay, no. No no no. This is not a good time for that kind of thinking.

Anyway, I read through the papers and felt like getting some fresh air. Mr. Alph's life was pretty droll to say the least. It was cold outside, I could faintly make out my breath. My cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hello, again." The voice was familiar… Mr. Fly.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing, really. I just want your input."

"Do what?"

"Your input. Your opinion. Information, dear boy."

I made a noise of acknowledgement.

"Good. Now… what is your purpose?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you continue to live? To fight?"

"Why is that any of your damn business?"

"I want to know my potential clients. Especially if they're… how do I put it? Superheroes."

I sighed and thought for a moment. "I'm not sure."

"So you fight with no motivation?"

"No! I- I fight to protect people."

"Why?"

"Because someone has to."

"See, you do have a purpose. Flimsy as it is."

"What, do I need a reason to help people?"

There was a pause on the other side. I started thinking I might have got the weirdo to think for a moment. "Well put," Mr. Fly said. "Now, I must be off. But a bit of warning."

"What?"

"Not everything is the Order. And not everything can be explained. And not everything will readily present itself to you."

He hung up. I check the number on the phone, but the call wasn't even registered. I still find that creepy.

I figured I might try to go inside and do some more research when, suddenly, I heard something… like a faint howl.


	11. Chapter 11 Werewolf By Night?

_**Werewolf by Night?**_

Okay, honestly, it wasn't the brightest idea, but I did it anyway. The guardians were asleep, and I had a feeling danger was afoot. I didn't want anyone getting hurt. Especially when there's a possibility I can do something about it. From the backyard, I covered my eyes with my palms and said 'Rider up' as usual. The armor surrounded me. I leapt over the fence and into the night.

I can't smell anything inside the Bolt armor, but my hearing is tad bit better then it usually is. I've learned to tune out the sound of my bike. In the first place it always sounded more like music, ambience.

The howling continued. Periodically, once every 5 or so minutes, I would hear it. Wolves do not go around Morrison or, especially, you know, go inside it. The damn thing was excited, I thought, to howl that much. Whatever it was. I assumed it was the Order, they were due for another attack.

As I rode along the streets, trailing the howls, I was stopped by a figure in the middle of the nearly empty street. It was the hooded man. I sat there, the bike's engine running. We stared at each other for a few seconds until the man spoke up. "It's ac cloudy night," he said. "Not a good night to be out." It was a rather overcast night, a bright moon still hanging in the sky, nearly drowned by the clouds.

The man approached me speaking the whole way. "I know what you're going after," he continued. There was another howl, closer this time. He nodded, his shining eyes bobbing. "I'm afraid you might not be able to defeat this enemy so easily."

"I've never been one for an easy fight."

"Be that as it may, young Rider, this fight will still tax you to your limits." He was finally standing right in front of me. I could almost see through his hood. I was tempted to turn on the bike's lights, or readjust the lighting in my mask, but I decided against it. He may have just covered his face anyway.

"Are you offering to help?"

"No. It is not my place. These are your battles. That does not mean I cannot… guide you."

I nodded. "Do you have something… else to say?"

"Yes. You have not been fighting to your full potential, not just yet. Remember that, going into the battle. I will allow you to discover what comes next." In a flash of light, he was gone.

I rode onwards.

The howling became clearer and louder as I went on. I knew the creature was close. I had the distinct feeling that this thing might also be coming after me. There wasn't much noise otherwise in the city, besides stray sounds of other far off vehicles.

Looking up at the sky, I realized someone wasn't playing by the rules. The moon wasn't full. It was more then halfway there, but not quite full. I guessed he didn't read _The Yes' and No's of Monsterhood. _Cheating bastard. Finally, I started seeing something on the rooftops, jumping from one to the other. A large figure. My target.

It stopped at the roof of a rather tall building that connected to some apartments. I assumed he was waiting. He apparently liked a fight before a meal. I sent the bike back to wherever the hell it usually resides and made several leaps from one building to the next until I was finally on the some rooftop as loud Mr. Howl. And he looked just as one would expect.

Much taller then me, Bolt or not. Grey fur covering his entire body. Wolf legs and face. The body was much like an extremely muscular man with a tail to top it all off. I tried to think of something witty to say, and got to "So, have do you deal with-" before the werewolf lunged.

I quickly rolled out of the way and nearly fell of the roof. I regained my composure just in time to duck under a claw swipe and punch the creature in the stomach. To no real avail. I had just enough time to get in one more gut punch before he backhanded me nearly to the ground. I rolled again, this time to the center of the roof, to get some breathing room. This certainly wasn't going as I hoped. I heard a odd, slightly metallic sound…

The wolf bared its newfound claws. Another lunge but this time I ducked and caught the werewolf by its legs in midair. I used its own momentum to hammer toss it off the building. Of course it would land on a smaller building, but the impact hurt it.

I leapt to the wolf's new battleground, only to immediately get pounced upon. I held back the creature's claws but it then had the bad idea to threaten to chomp down on my head. I gave it an admittedly Brooklyn styled head butt and pushed it up and off of me with my legs. As we both got up, I caught a good glimpse of the wolf's claws. Something inside me stirred. A feeling in my gut that told me I was missing something.

I remembered what the hooded man said. "You have not been fighting to your full potential…"

Something switched on in my brain like I finally thought of some long forgotten idea. Then, a weird tingling in my arms and a shaking in my legs. I heard another slightly metallic noise. I looked down at my arms… from the top of my wrists, sharp blades slid outward.

I'd been fighting with the parking brake on for the last 2 or 3 months. The wolf made a snort and went back into a fighting stance. Just like the first time I became Bolt, images flashed into my head. This time it was basics of how to fight with the blades. I formed the defense stance as the images showed me.

He werewolf once again made the first attack. This time I stabbed it in the shoulder as it jumped. The wolf once more fell of the building, but landed on the one below us. I followed suit.

When I got to the ground I quickly blocked another claw swipe and managed to kick the beast in the chest. The surprise reeled it back. For a moment we both stood, staring at each other. I had to wonder if this was the first time the wolf actually had a challenge. We circled each other, taking careful sidesteps. Again the wolf made the first move. This time, however, it rolled at me. When it covered half the distance between us I braced for impact just as the werewolf unfurled and pounced right under me.

We fell down, down, down. We fought over who would be the cushion and neither of us won. I suddenly found myself on a shanty like roof, an old apartment building. The view was covered with similar roofs, most adorned with chimneys. I recovered near the same time the wolf did. I needed to put a bit of distance between us, to catch my breath. I hoped along the rooftops, until, I landed on a chimney…

And, well, here we are, back at the original thought.

Meanwhile Lou was up to something, as he told me. He'd been on the computer for several hours working on a flow chart of monsters, apparently. For the hell of it, he wanted to see if he could guess some other monsters and maybe locations of interest. What he got looked like a plot chart to _Primer_. As in, there where lines everywhere and it made no damn sense.

He did make one little discovery, as it happens. Most of the places that had been attacked had significance to, as Charley helped him with the thought, the psychological makeup of Morrison City. The power plant, the subway, the Mayor's office, the skeletal framework buildings… all of them are well embedded into the local psyche. The Order's motives were still vague, as Charley again helped Lou along, but we knew something now. And that was better then nothing. "Should we call J?" Lou asked our red headed friend.

"Might as well tell him. Maybe he knows something to help put the puzzle together."

About then, the wolf and I leapt into the air, our weapons aimed at each other. I braced for what was most likely going to be one of the more unpleasant experiences of my life.


End file.
